A Balancing Act
by Avi Halliwell
Summary: Death. Family. Magic. Love. The Halliwell children don't have it easy. Piper had always kept them balanced, will her untimely death cause it to all unravel?
1. Chapter 1

Hey everyone! I hope you enjoy my charmed fanfic. I haven't posted on here in a while, but I found this story on my computer a little while ago and I decided to continue writing it as my break from classes! I hope you enjoy it! Also, I love how 4 years later and I still can't indent on this website... gotta love technology.

Here's to 2016 and still feeling #ForeverCharmed

* * *

 **Prologue:**

It had been over twenty years since he stood watching cars rush by hundreds of feet below. Decades since the cold metal numbed his toes and years since he took a deep breath in the frigid wind. Leo opened his mind to the people of the city. He felt its life force, the hustle and bustle, both the joy and the pain. Here he found hope as his dreams to grow old rested. It was these moments that affirmed his decision to return to the Elders. He honed his sense on a particular bunch, a shattered family. He mourned the loss of scrabble games and threats to blow him up, orbs and all. He felt the void Piper's death, the future she wouldn't be a part of.

Standing on the bridge, so far away, he felt tuned in more about his family's situation than any father son conversation could have lead him. Here, he understood his daughter more than he could ever imagine. Leo sighed, wondering what that said about him. He had dedicated the last quarter century on being a father, but never without a haunting doubt. Every move he made, every decision manipulated by a phrase said on this very bridge. He had vowed to be a better man, a better father, and a better husband. And as proud as he was to have watched his family grow there will always be a part of him that doubts whether he had done enough.

 _"You were never there for me,"_

Leo took a final deep breath at the top of the Golden Gate. He exhaled uncomfortably. The world was a very different place without his wife.

* * *

 **Chapter 1-**

"You need help, Chris." Paige hopped up on the counter to help her nephew dry glasses.

"You want to find me a qualified bartender that also happens to be a witch?" He flashed a hopeful smile. Paige scratched her head.

"I just don't like you working so much."

"And I don't like bringing in any loose ends." He started hanging glassware.

"Loose ends?" Paige passed him a glass. "It's not like you're running a drug ring."

"I just don't want to constantly lie to my staff, okay?" Chris shrugged. "Family emergency only works so many times. Plus, I thoroughly enjoy orbing. I get to avoid traffic during the night shift and it saves a ton of money on gas..."

"Piper opened p3 to feel normal, Chris. Maybe a mortal around here is just what you need." Paige suggested in a quiet voice. The man tensed up at the mention of his mother. Chris grabbed a bottle of beer from the bar and leaned against the counter.

"Thanks, but I don't really do normal." His voice carried of sass, but Paige picked up on a hint of sadness as well. She understood. The normal life did not mix well with Paige Matthews, no more than it did with her nephew. It had been almost a year since she returned to the police force, in hopes at some normalcy, and she had never felt less at ease. She always felt guilty leading such a compartmentalized life, and decided to try something simpler, but Paige wasn't simple, no matter how hard she tried. He bit off the bottle cap with his teeth and let the bitter liquid slide down the back of his throat. Paige sighed with her nephew. He shrugged. "Magic is normal to me. I'm half human and went to magic school, my dad fought in a world war and my brother is basically king Arthur. If I wanted true normal, I'd need way more than a night club."

"We could franchise?" Paige teased. Chris rolled his eyes. "Seriously, though, you need to relax. When was the last time you had a decent night's sleep? Or just hung out with your friends?"

"I knew what I was getting into when I took over. I didn't come here to relax." He responded, hanging up a few glasses. She shook her head laughing. "What?"

"Nothing, just, sometimes you remind me of a late friend." Paige said, cryptically. Chris looked at her funny and killed his drink in the awkward silence. He tossed the bottle out and went for a second, a habit his aunt noticed had picked up pace since his mom died.

"You want one?" He offered. She shook her head.

"Nah, thanks. I've to get back to work in a bit, my lunch break's almost over." Paige declined. "Some of us can't drink on the job."

"Aye aye, Detective." He toasted to her before staring at the rest of the work to be done. He scrunched his face at the pile of paperwork to do as well. "Okay maybe I'll think about interviewing."

"Yeah, you should get on that." Paige smirked and patted him on the back. "I gotta bounce, you still coming to dinner?"

"Shit is that tonight?" Chris brushed a hand through hair. "I thought it was on Monday?"

"Today is Monday, hun." She reminded. He looked surprised and rubbed his eyes. "Get some sleep?"

"If I finish up in here I will take a nap. I promise." He took a sip and set the drink down to give her a hug. She squeezed tight for a moment. "I'll see ya later."

"I love you," She said, hoping he knew she was there for him if he ever needed anything.

"Love you too." He replied.

xx

 _Chris watched his mothers body burn, turning into ashes. The smell made his stomach churn, but he stayed, not wanting to leave her. The rest of the family left the cremation, but Chris wouldn't budge. The flames hurt his eyes, but he forced himself to stare, to feel the pain. He had held his tears at bay during the ceremony. He had not wanted to show weakness, as he knew he had to stay strong for his family. Here, however, alone but in the presence of his mother, he broke down. He let it all go; knowing the moment the body finished burning he would need to stop. Chris would learn to nod and say, "I'm fine." He would tell lie after lie. Only this room would know his pain. He apologized over and over, knowing it was futile. He hadn't been quick enough to save her. He was too late then and he was too late now. Her soul had moved on. Chris stayed until the last flame went out and a man handed him her ashes. He stared at the container in his hand, his final tears falling before his face turned to stone._

 _xx_

"Hey, how do you feel about tattoos?" A woman with jet-black hair and green eyes looked up from a laptop.

"I have six, why?" Chris read over a file, not paying much attention to the conversation until he remembered who was talking with. "Wait, you're not thinking of getting one, are you?"

"Jees, no. I'm researching your applicants." She laughed and then looked at her brother. "You have _six_?"

"Four years of military will do that. Quit your judging and stalk, okay?" Chris ordered, half joking. He continued typing on the spreadsheet, and rubbed his tired eyes. Melinda waited until he was back into the work before she commented again.

"Just saying, it's a bit hypocritical…" She teased, pulling him back out of focus.

"I'm your big brother, I get to be." He reminded, smiling at her.

"I think I found your girl." She spun the screen towards him.

"Yeah? What makes her so… huh…" Chris tilted his head to get a better look.

"Awesome, let's overlook her very over qualified application on this three fourths worth of the screen and stare at her ass." Melinda snapped Chris out of it.

"I was not staring at…" He tried. She called his bluff. "What like you didn't notice she's gorgeous?"

"At least I have the decency to be discreet about it." Melinda laughed. "Guess that's the difference between straight male and gay women."

"That's bullshit and you know it." He retorted and then got serious. "This is a waste of time, I'm not going to hire anyone anyways…"

"She speaks Romanian." Melinda kept reading. Chris looked impressed and reconsidered. "Now that I think about it almost every one of our applicants has been bilingual. Do you list that as a job requirement?"

"English gets boring when you have the Rosetta stone in your head." He admitted, loving and hating his whitelighter power at the same time.

"I can't sympathize with you on that one, I had to struggle my way through my Spanish minor." She said, feeling a bit proud of herself. Chris laughed, considering the years he spent translating obscure dialects for the Army. It came as easy as his current conversation. "I wonder if Mom felt this way around Dad when they took that trip to Europe last year..."

"Yeah…" Chris left the club table and reached behind the bar counter for a glass. He filled it 50/50 with cherry rum and pepsi. Chris kept his back to her, trying to recompose himself after thinking of his mom. Melinda walked up from behind and spoke.

"Just the soda part for me." He flinched. Melinda had startled him. She smiled and hopped up onto the counter top.

"Sure thing." He filled the glass. Chris passed the soda and joined her on top of the bar. He took a deep breath and noticed the silence. Piper always had had music going while she worked. He had always found it distracting, but it kept her on task through the most stressful of times. He, however, preferred to work in quiet. It helped him think, but sometimes when it was so quiet he realized maybe he didn't want to think too hard. And sometimes, if it was quiet enough he couldn't help but wonder if it was worth thinking at all.

"You okay?" She wondered. He gave a reassuring nod. "You know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

"I'm fine, sis. You worry too much." He deflected. "I'm just exhausted trying to keep this place up and running. I only worked here a few months before…I'm not exactly qualified."

"Maybe you should take a break. Get out of this hole. Live a little?"

"Trust me, I'm trying." He responded, exasperated.

"I think Wyatt's gone out more and he's got a newborn." She teased.

"I go out." He lied.

"Fucking Natasha and day drinking in your own club doesn't count as going out." She stated, nodding to his half empty glass.

"Damn, sis, got something you'd like to say?"

"Ever since mom… died," She paused. Chris finished his drink in a single swing at her mention. "You've been, um, you've changed and I'm worried about you."

"I'm just swamped with work, Mel. I neglected it while everything was happening and now I've got to pick up the pieces." He explained, grateful for his sister. "I'm just stressed right now. It'll calm down in a little. You don't have to worry about me."

"I'm your sister, it's my job to worry about you." She rested her head on his shoulder. Chris considered her offer to listen, but decided against it.

"Come on. Let's clean up. Paige will blow a gasket if we're late tonight."

"Oh shit, what's the time? I told Margo I'd pick her up." The half witch stumbled for her purse. She kissed Chris on the cheek before she left. "I'll see ya tonight."

"Yeah, see ya." Chris smirked and finished cleaning. He grabbed his leather jacket and turned the lights out before exiting and closing up. He was locking the door when he felt a presence behind him.

"Hi, sorry to bother… I saw the help wanted sign. Do you know when the manager will be in?"

"Yeah, that's me."

"I'm Bianca." She held out her hand and he shook it. He smiled at the way she ran her hand down her fishtail braid nervously, bringing it to the front of her left shoulder afterwards. Chris instinctively ran a hand through his own hair. Their eyes connected for a moment, before she shied away. Her gaze locked on her dirty navy converse before returning to Chris's face. I've got my resume with me."

"Oh, great. I'll take it." This is a pleasant surprise, he thought. She handed him the document. "I'll look over it tonight. Can you come by tomorrow? I'm on my way to a family dinner, but I'll be in at 1."

"Oh, yes. Yes that would be great. I'll be there." Bianca blushed.

"I'll give you my number, then. Just call before you show up." Chris handed her a card.

"Have a nice day," She waved and watched him place her file in a rucksack under the seat of his motorcycle before she spun around on her heels and walked towards her Honda.

* * *

(What's that? you want to read more? click the follow button! I already have the majority of the story written, so no need to worry about me disappearing! Also, if you feel like editing, let me know and I can go back and fix it. STEM is wonderful until you want to write fanfiction.)


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Second chapter is up! Also, just for clarification, this is a world where Piper never closed the club/opened a restaurant

* * *

"The baby will be fine. She's sleeping and if she wakes I'll be the first to know. I'm always sensing out for her." Wyatt assured Veronica. He kissed the top of her head and held her close, never wanting to let go. This family was his whole world. Veronica looked back at the crib and smiled. The mother nodded and pulled apart. "Come on, I think your parents are here."

"Alright, if you say so." She trusted the father of her child to lead. He offered his hand and they walked downstairs .The couple walked into a living room filled with most of the family. _Everyone but Mom_. Wyatt thought. Phoebe entered from the kitchen, walking up behind Coop, who sat at the table. She massaged his shoulders and listened to the conversation happening between Chris, Mel and Leo.

"I just don't think it's right. Call me old fashion, but-" Leo started. Wyatt rolled his eyes.

"You're not old fashion, Dad. You're just old." Chris corrected. Melinda snickered. "Do I prefer to pay on a date? Yeah, I do and I'll offer ever time, but if she asked me out and she wants to pay, I don't feel threatened by it. Just like I'd want to treat someone out."

"I think when me and Mel go out the meal should be free. Since we're both women and incapable of picking up a check." Margo piped in, causing everyone to laugh. Mel sent a loving glance towards her girlfriend.

"Alright, I get it. I'm old and out of touch with the dating scene." Leo surrendered. "But before anyone makes any assumptions I'd like you to know that it was your mother who made the first move all those years ago."

"Yeah?" Wyatt wondered, impressed. Phoebe nodded.

"Yup, and you know what? I still picked up the check." Leo smirked with teary eyes, remembering the happy days.

"Oh shoot!" Paige shouted from the kitchen.

"Honey, is everything okay?" Henry called back in a deep concerning voice.

"I forgot to let the bread raise." She confessed, holding out flat bread.

"Mazel tov?" Chris raised his wine glass and everyone followed in the toast.

"Oh, sweetie, don't worry about it. I'm sure we'll all survive." Sheila reassured. "Now, where is my adorable little granddaughter?"

"We just put her down, Mom." Veronica greeted her mother with a kiss to the cheek. Sheila looked disappointed, so her daughter lightened the mood. "Hey, why don't you tell everyone about the exciting news?"

"Exciting news?" Phoebe sat down besides her husband to listen.

"Oh, why don't we wait until everyone gets here? Mikey and DJ went to pick up Paige's kids from practice." Sheila said shyly. She was blushing.

"Please, they probably already know by now. If you don't tell them I will." Veronica folded her arms over her chest, giving her mom a look.

"Oh, alright." She looked over at Darryl, knowing it was his news as well, and clasped her hands together. "We've decided to move back to San Francisco to be closer to the baby."

"Ahh!" Phoebe squealed. "I knew it!"

"Shh, Patty's sleeping." Wyatt reminded. Paige gave her old friends a hug.

"I'm so happy for you guys."

"Have you started looking around yet?" Chris asked. "I just closed out my old apartment a few months ago if you want the name of my realtor. She was great."

"Yeah, that would be helpful." Darryl sat next to Chris to get more information. They began discussing real estate before the rest of the family arrived.

"Warning, I smell disgusting!" A teenager proclaimed before entering, covered in mud and sweaty soccer clothes. Wyatt laughed at his mid calves tan line.

"Hey, leave your bags by the door and go shower. I brought clothes for you, they're upstairs." Paige told. Henry Jr saluted his mom and ran upstairs, detouring the party. Kat walked in with wet hair, but otherwise dressed for dinner.

"I showered after practice, but I think I still smell like chlorine." Kat shrugged and started greeting her family.

"I smell like cologne." Mikey teased them and hugged his mom.

"Hey, son. Where's your brother?" Darryl wondered.

"He forgot something in the car, he should be right in." Mikey explained. "Is that Chris? My man, damn it's been a long time."

"Hey," Chris stood up and did their short "secret" handshake before bringing his friend into a hug. They hadn't seen each other much since the funeral. Chris felt guilty, knowing that fell on him for isolating himself in his time of grief. He had been avoiding Mikey and DJ since they reminded him too much of his mom, having grown up together. They were practically family, only Chris felt less bad shutting them out than his immediate relatives. "How've you been?"

"Good, good. Me and Lorie are thinking about getting a place together."

"Look at you." Chris smiled, happy for him. "That's great to hear. Congrats."

"Thank you, thank you." Mikey took a small bow. "And you? I heard you officially took over your mom's club. How's it been?"

"Crazy. Ya know, I didn't realize how much stuff she still did when I was managing, but it's great. I mean, I've got bands I never thought would come." He explained. "I have to admit though, I've been swamped."

"Too much work is better than not enough." Leo encouraged. Phoebe snapped and pointed at Leo.

"True." She agreed. Darryl Jr walked in just as the timer for the lasagna went off. "Oh, good. Perfect timing. Come on in!"

"Hey, everyone!"

"What up, Doc?" Mel ran up and gave him a hug. Darryl Jr playfully messed up her hair. "Hey!"

"You know you love me." The dentist gave her a fake wink and Mel rolled her eyes.

"How you doing?" Wyatt shook his old friend, and brother in law's, hand.

"Me? I'm all right. My partner's being a pain in the ass about the office expansion but other than that I can't complain." He smiled. "How's being a new dad?"

"I haven't slept in the last two weeks." Wyatt said, loving every minute of it.

"You haven't slept?" Veronica raised her eyebrows, entering the conversation.

"Sounds about right." Darryl Jr hugged his sister. "Are your girls coming, Phoebe?"

"No, they volunteer for a group on campus that's having a fundraiser this weekend and they had to stay late to get last minute details ready." She explained. "They should be here next week though."

xx

Chris sat back in his chair, watching the dinner in front of him. His younger cousins passionately gossiped who was taking whom to homecoming and their goals for the end of fall sport seasons. Darryl and Sheila continued to rave about their upcoming move, and their sons spoke with Wyatt and Veronica about work. They spoke of mortgages and student loans. The debated security systems and politics. Melinda and Margo joked about professors and complained of looming deadlines for papers and exams. Chris grew unreasonable irritable at their happiness. Their lives seeming untouched by the elephant in the room. He felt isolated in a room of those who claimed to care. Chris picked at his food in silence, knowing it would never taste as good as the meal his mother would have made.

He then overheard his aunts and uncles discussing their children's lives past, present and future. They shared retirement dreams and Chris noticed Leo chiming in only every once in a while with a forced enthusiasm. The elder tried to keep up pretenses, but Chris could see he was hurting, too. He latched onto the image of his father. It provided comfort. Chris felt guilty, but his fathers pain justified his own, and misery loves company. Chris set down his fork and finished his wine. He poured another glass, and like his father faked his way through the remainder of the meal. Chris laughed when appropriate, smiled when warranted and feigned interest in the stories. The harder he tried the more disconnected he felt. Leo caught his son's glazed stare for a moment and knitted his eyebrows, feeling responsible.

xx

"Come on. I'm driving." Paige offered her sleepy nephew. Chris rubbed his eyes and tried to snap back into focus.

"I took my bike." He said, a little out of it. "Do you have a motorcycle license?"

"No, but I do know how to drive my Toyota and which street your building's on." She helped him stand up from the couch.

"I've got to drive. I can't leave it." He decided, patting his pockets for keys. Paige rolled her eyes and held them in front of his face.

"You aren't driving anything tonight." Henry ordered, taking Paige's side.

"I'm fine. Really." Chris lied. "It's a few a few miles. I feel good."

"I can just give you the DUI here if you want?" Henry suggested. "Might make it easier."

"Chris, listen to your uncle." Leo parented. The stubborn hybrid rolled his eyes and bit his pride.

"Fine." Chris listened and grabbed his coat. By this point, the Morris family had gone back to their hotel and only the immediate family was left. Margo and Mel were cuddled up on the other couch watching some trashy reality show, so when he went to say goodbye to his sister she gave him a small wave.

"See ya later, sleepy head." She said. Wyatt came down the stairs from checking up on the baby just in time to shake Chris's hand goodbye.

"You know if you'd just move in with me you wouldn't have to leave." Wyatt reminded.

"You and Mel and Dad and Veronica and a baby or me myself and I. Let me think on that." Chris teased.

"You bought that place with the idea that Natasha would move in, Chris. How much longer can you really afford it? Mel's only here on school breaks and Dad basically lives up there now that they reinstated his Elder status." Wyatt added. "Just think about it."

"Okay, I'll think about it." Chris hugged his brother. "Say bye to V and the baby for me, aight?"

"Yeah."

"I'll see you guys later." Chris waved. "I'm being escorted home by SFPD."

"Bite your tongue. If I ever see you in the back of my other car I'll kill you." Paige threatened.

"Before or after you read me rights?" He wondered, following them to the door.

"Come on smartass." Kat rolled her eyes and look at her mom. "Oh hey, is Tam coming to my meet on Wednesday?"

"Yeah. She's working the graveyard shift tonight so she doesn't miss it." Her dad reminded. "Why don't you guys get in the car? I'll grab Jr. I think he's talking to Phoebe."

"Aye Aye captain." Chris saluted his uncle.

"Shut up and walk." Paige advised. He smirked and followed Kat to the car.

"So like, if me and some friends showed up at P3 would you let us in?"

"Absolutely not." He replied, bluntly. "You're still in high school."

"What if-"

"No." He shot her down. "I'll lose my liquor license."

"Just me. This Saturday. I'll stay with Mel and Margo the whole time I just really want to see DJ Vix." She begged. He thought about it. "I'll glamour and use Tamora's ID to get in. No one but us will know."

"Okay. But you have to check in with me right after you get in and hand over the ID. If I see you-" He started to threaten her but stopped at her excited hug. She jumped up and down thanking him.

"You're the best."

xx

"She's perfect." Mel agreed looking over the file Chris sent her. Bianca's resume filled her screen.

"She's over qualified." Chris rested the phone between his ear and shoulder while he loaded the shipment into the storage closet. "I really only interviewed her yesterday to amuse the idea of having an extra set of hands around here but-"

"Did you offer her the job?" She asked from the other side of the line. Melinda finished applying the topcoat on her freshly painted nails and waved them dry. She flopped on the bed of her dorm room.

"I told her I'd call her back sometime today." He took a break from lifting the crates and got a glass of water. "I don't know."

"What's the worse that can happen? See how she does. You can always fire her." She reminded. "Did you test to see if she's a witch yet?"

"Not yet. I'll do it when I get records… ugh can you just come back?" He begged. "You're here most of the time anyways."

"I'd prefer to be on the other side of the bar, thank you very much." She said. "Besides I'm working in the lab this semester."

"Thursdays?" He hoped.

"Not going to happen." Mel said. Chris shrugged. He looked over the remaining crates. After checking around him, he waved his hand. Orbs surrounded the boxes. He magically placed them in the room. "Oh hey, are you going to Kat's meet?"

"Natasha is coming over tonight." He went to the back office and sat on the couch.

"Coming over?" Melinda prompted. "Since when do you plan your booty calls?"

"It's complicated." Chris kicked up his feet on the makeshift beer crate coffee table.

"You're horny and she's easy, what's complicated?"

"She stayed for dinner last time." He said.

"What?" The college student sat up abruptly to pay more attention. "You didn't tell me that! Chris, break up sex doesn't end in takeout."

"It was… nice." He confessed. "It felt like old times."

"Chris, she cheated on you all throughout your deployment." Melinda brutally reminded. "I'm sorry, but I can't support this."

"I know." Chris rolled his eyes, frustrated. He picked up the applicant files on the table and looked over Bianca's file again. "What do I do?"

"Cancel." She advised. "Move on."

"What's the point? I mean it's not like I've got anything else going on right now…" Chris stared at the file, and read over the credentials. He had a feeling about Bianca, one he couldn't shake. "You know what, if the records clean, I'm going to hire her."

"Good." Melinda approved. He needed help. Chris was exhausted.

"I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I think I'm done?"

"With what?"

"Work, I think I did everything I can for today." Chris looked around. "I've got to go. I'm taking a nap."

"Alright, I'll see ya around." She laughed.

* * *

Reviews always welcome :)


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thanks for sticking with my story :) Enjoy, and as always please review I love getting tips

* * *

Chris woke up to six missed calls three hours later. The band's sound check was underway in the other room and he sighed, not wanting to get up. The nap had been filled with vivid dreams of the over worked mind. He had no motivation to carry on with his day. Chris cursed, knowing he needed to move and got up to go to the bathroom. His contacts drove him crazy, all dry from sleeping, so he switched into his glasses and checked his phone, able to read now. He called Wyatt.

"Hey, what's up?" He asked, still groggy.

"What's up? I tried calling six times, Chris. Where are you?" Wyatt demanded. Chris moved the phone away from his hear in response to Wyatt's yelling. The level of caring just wasn't there.

"I fell asleep, is everything alright?"

"Your damn bike's in the middle of the fucking driveway and we don't have keys in order to move it. I thought you were coming by yesterday for it?"

"I was busy… You called me six times about my bike?" Chris asked, dumbfounded. "Just TK it?"

"Did you not hear about it being in the middle of the driveway? In front of all of our neighbors?" Wyatt wondered. "Just orb over and move it? Kat's meet started five minutes ago and we're driving her friends back here for the pasta party so I need to pull the car out of the driveway."

"Yeah," Chris ducked out of the club and hung up the phone when he was face to face with his brother. He dug into his pocket and found keys.

"You're coming tonight, right?" Wyatt presumed.

"Why would I come to a high school team dinner?" He grasped for logic. "I've got plans."

"It's senior night? She's getting that award?" Wyatt explained. "You promised you would come before- like over a month ago."

"Like over a month ago? You mean before mom? At least say it." Chris scoffed, unwarrantedly angry. He walked out. Wyatt grabbed his forearm, stopping him.

"Where are you going?"

"To move my bike." Chris reminded. "And then go to back to work."

"She's going to be really upset if you bail." Wyatt stated, trying to guilt his brother. Chris turned around at the end of the steps and ran a hand through his hair. Wyatt's plan was working. "It'll be over before the club will even open."

"What time is the thing? At home?" He thought about moving his plans around and sighed. Wyatt smiled, accepting the compromise.

"8? Maybe 8:30? Whenever the meet ends, really."

"I'll see if I can get away."

xx

Paige's eldest daughter Tamora hung up the clipboard outside of her final patient of the day's room. She checked her watch, ready to finally go home and get off her feet. She had been working overtime the last few days to make sure she could take this afternoon off and now that it was finally here she couldn't wait to spend time with her family. Tamora knew how important this meet was to her younger sister. After her aunt's death, the second generation all had their own ways to cope, her younger sister's being a surge of determination to crush the school record. Tamora stopped by the nurses' lounge to gather her things. She opened her locker and sighed, seeing the photograph taken at her graduation. She had been so embarrassed of her crazy family that day, the only nurse whose entire extended family showed up and cheered as she walked across the stage. She never knew how lucky she was until part of it was taken away. She grabbed her bag and jacket and locked up, feeling incredibly grateful for the family she had left.

Tamora walked down the hall, turning left instead of right. She knew this was the long way around to the parking lot, but she couldn't bring herself to pass through the ER entrance way. Her days as a trauma nurse were behind her, ever since the day Piper Halliwell showed up in Chris's arms. He had orbed her there in an act of desperation, knowing there was nothing more magic could do to help. They both collapsed outside. The hospital sent out a team, and Tamora rushed outside, ready to help until she saw her cousin. It wasn't until that day she understood the anger inside of her. Her aunt was dead before she made it through the doors, and she stood there idly. The hospital policy made it impossible for her to act, so instead she watched them shock her aunt over and over. She watched them break ribs, pounding on her chest hoping for a heartbeat. Tamora requested a transfer the next morning. She unlocked her car door and sat inside for a bit before driving off to the Manor.

xx

"We can't keep doing this, Nat." Chris said in between kisses. They were fooling around in his bed, blowing off steam.

"You really want to have this discussion?" She asked, naked. He looked at the beautiful girl on top of him and hesitated. She nibbled at his ear before whispering. "Now?"

"No," He let it go quickly, grabbing her and switched position. He pinned her down and she smiled. "God, you're perfect."

"Fuck me." She commanded. He grinned and followed orders. Chris knew he probably shouldn't and it made it just a bit hotter. Afterwards, he lay on his back, staring at the ceiling breathing heavily. His loneliness and craving to be close to another, a desperation to feel, momentarily satisfied. He flinched a bit when she rubbed a hand over his chest, as she brushed over accidental scratch marks from moments before. "Sorry."

"Nothing to apologize for." He turned his head towards her. Natasha scooted closer, snuggling up. He reciprocated the cuddling, just wanting to hold something familiar, to feel loved. She felt like a bit of the past, his life before it went array. He let the moment sink in, hoping it would be enough to fill the void. He whispered in her ear. "My neck, however-"

"You asked me to?" She teased, giggling.

"Yeah, doesn't negate how discolored I am." He thought about the collared shirts he owned to cover the obvious hickeys. Chris closed his eyes.

"You bruise too easily." She said, still breathy from moments before.

"I'm just pale." He joked. He felt her laugh. "Oh hey, what time is it?"

"Eight forty five? Nine-ish? Who cares let's just stay here?" She asked, listening to his heartbeat. He kissed the top of her head and sat up, disrupting her snuggles. He checked the time.

"Shit." Chris began searching for his clothes. When he finally found his pants he hesitated, not wanting to leave.

"Blow it off, you're already late." She tempted. Chris shut his eyes.

"Nah, I can't. My family's been through so much lately… I should be there." Chris finished getting dressed. He looked in the mirror, only to confirm his concern. "I look like an asshole."

"Yup."

"Wow, that's for the encouragement."

"Hey, I don't have to support your decisions anymore." She mentioned, hitting a sore spot. It wasn't real. They weren't together and this wasn't old times. He rolled his eyes and looked in the bedside dresser for his glasses.

"You're still the one who gave them to me."

xx

"Hey! You made it!" Kat ran up to give her cousin a hug as he walked in the door. She couldn't hold her excitement, and it was contagious. "I broke the record."

"You kidding me? That's amazing. I'm so proud of you." Chris squeezed her in their hug as he congratulated her. She squeezed him right back, proving her strength and making him laugh. She was then whisked away by teammates and he walked to the back of the room by the adults. The loud noise of high school girls drove him to the liquor cabinet after only five minutes.

"Hey, hun, no drinking at this." Paige reminded, pulling him into a hug. He put the scotch down, understanding, and sat down at the table.

"Did she catch you, too?" Henry asked his nephew, who nodded. The uncle pondered the situation. "She's like a hawk."

"A very smiley, terrifying one. Luckily I'm not one to back down from a challenge." Chris made his uncle laugh. "Have you seen Wyatt?"

"Upstairs with the baby." Henry directed. Chris grimaced. "Yeah, I picked teens over baby too."

"I'd pick demons over both." Chris mumbled.

"Kat looks happy, though." Tamora piped in, watching her younger sister bubble with enthusiasm. "That's all that really matters, right?"

"Speeches are starting in the living room!" Someone announced and the sister followed. Chris leaned over to his uncle.

"I might keep a bottle of Jack in my old room." Chris said, watching through the archway at a sophomore crying through the speech. "You know only if you're interested."

"I have to make it through Kat's, she's my daughter." Henry decided, staying strong. Chris respected his uncle for toughing it out, but couldn't bear sitting through it himself. Chris thought back to the demon he ran into the other day, and justified his escape plan. He put a hand on his Henry's shoulder and patted it before standing back up. "I'll be upstairs checking the book if you need me."

"You leaving me?" Chris caught a hint of betrayal in Henry's voice.

"Yes. I love my cousin, but I did not sign up for this." He explained. Henry rolled his eyes and understood, giving him the okay to leave. Chris snuck through the crowd, avoiding parent small talk and teen drama alike. He finally made it to the stairs and realized the speakers were standing on them. Paige saw him hesitate. He contemplated how rude it would be to go through them and decided against it. Instead, he sat down next to his cousin, further stuck in his worst nightmare. Paige smiled a mischievous smile.

xx

"She's good." Mel commented, calming Chris's nerves about the new bartender. He was looking at her charm the Friday crowd. "I think you made the right call,"

"I hope so." He admitted. Bianca caught him staring and blushed. The club was starting to get crowded as the opener closed up. Margo came back with a round of drinks. She dropped them off and picked up Mel from the stool she was on, bringing her into a kiss.

"Damn girl, how did I get so lucky?" Mel said.

"I'd some bad karma." She teased, kissing her again. Chris laughed. Mel pouted, playing along. Margo wrapped her arms around her. "Aye come here, we both know I'm the lucky one. You're so out of my league…"

"Oh shut up, you know you're the gorgeous one." Mel bantered and turned to her brother, who rolled his eyes and drank. He hated being a third wheel.

"You guys are at that cutesy couple level that makes me nauseated." He commented, smiling and shaking his head. "You're so gay."

"Why is being happy a gay thing?" They wondered, all cuddled up.

"Because most straight people are miserable." Chris stated.

"Damn, boy. How's Natasha?" Margo dared. He drank.

"She's a sociopath." Chris responded. "The sex is pretty good though."

"My brother everyone." Mel teased. He chuckled and his phone buzzed.

"Speaking of..." Chris stood up and took his drink. "Great seeing you guys, but I got to go-"

"Duty calls." Margo joked. Mel scoffed.

"More like booty calls." She said, pointing out the tall blonde. Nat dragged the witchlighter towards the dance floor and started grinding up against him. Chris held her close and they moved together.

"Damn that's a hell of a kiss." A deep voice broke into the conversation. They turned around to see DJ, Mikey, and Wyatt staring at Chris. "Mind if we join ya?"

"Please." Melinda motioned to empty seats. "It's good to see you out of the house, Wyatt."

"Yeah, I figured it was about time. Veronica's out with the girls and so I figured I'd come hangout with the lot of you." He said.

"Baby's by my mom." Mikey explained. "Wyatt here was freaking out being separated, so I thought a few drinks might do him good?"

"Is Lorie working late?" Margo asked Mikey, who nodded.

"Yeah, she's got this case that has her swamped at the office right now. I tried to get her to take a break but she's really passionate about it. Took it pro bono. She always works hard, but, I've seen her this dedicated to a case in a while." He explained. Mel looked impressed.

"Do you know what the case is on?"

"Nah, she can't give away any details until the trial. Client confidentiality and all." Mikey said.

"Makes sense." Margo said. "It's a shame though, I haven't seen her in a while."

"Makes two of us," He agreed. "She even slept over at the office last night."

"Woman on a mission." Mel smiled. Mikey nodded. "That or you're in the dog house."

"Oh hey, I'm going to get us some beers you girls want anything?" He asked.

"I'm okay, we just got some. Thanks though." Margo thanked him and tugged on Mel's hand. "Wanna dance?"

"With you? Ehh..." She jokingly weighed her options and then kissed her girlfriend. "Let's go. Stay far away from Chris and Nat though."

"I don't think you need to worry about that. Pretty sure they already left." DJ's eyes flickered towards the stock room and Mel's face scrunched up.

"Come on, they're starting." Margo hopped up and down, excited. Melinda forgot all about her brother and followed her girl onto the floor. They squished their way towards the front and Margo pulled her dark blond wavy hair up into a bun to avoid getting too warm in the crowd. Mel danced behind Margo and started kissing her exposed neck. She had her hands on her Margo's hips and Margo laced her fingers in Melinda's hair. Her other hand rested on top of Mel's. The Halliwell whispered into her girlfriend's ear.

"I love you." She confessed. Margo turned around and Mel wrapped her arms around her lower back, pulling her closer. Margo moved the hair out of Melinda's face and gave her an innocent kiss.

"I love you, too."

xx

"Now that the Power of Three is gone the balance is disturbed, we need a plan." Elder Donna discussed. "The Demons will not hesitate-"

"The demons are organizing, which gives us some time." Another Elder pitched in. "So long as the underworld is unstable, nothing gets done."

"Yes, but we all know a power vacuum is the last thing we need." Leo reminded. "Innocents could be killed as a power display."

"Historically, fighting for a new Source usually ends in demons killing other demons, not necessarily humans."

"Are we willing to take that chance?" Leo asked. He looked at the council and waited their approval. They all looked down, knowing it was risky. "Reinstate a new Power of the Three, let a new power pick up where the sisters left off."

"It's a learning curve, we need to do it soon or they won't have a shot…" A male Elder commented. "Unless…"

"What, Frank?" Another wondered.

"No, no we can't. Forget it." Frank blushed.

"Frank, now is not the time to be shy." Donna stated and Leo agreed. The Elder took a deep breath.

"Well alright… I was just thinking that if we bestowed the Powers onto a group of experienced witches, you know someone who's seen what it takes to balance the responsibilities-"

"My children are off limits." Leo asserted, knowing where this was leading. "As are Phoebe and Paige's. They've gone through too much already. Please. Besides, my son just had a child…"

"Bestowing so much power into the already so powerful, it does seem excessive… Wyatt alone is already such a beacon for good." Donna commented. "But they are the most qualified."

"You have three children. It works quite nicely." Sandra chimed in. Leo shook his head.

"No. You have the whole world to pick from. My family has done enough for the greater good. Piper wanted our children to lead normal lives." Leo argued.

"Perhaps a child from each, then. To make it fair." Odin suggested. Cecil shook his head.

"It must be Melinda, Chris and Wyatt." He declared. "For that is how it was foreseen."

"But Melinda isn't twice blessed-" Leo argued. "She doesn't even have active powers…"

"She will,"


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Here's the fourth chapter! Hope you enjoy! Please review so I can improve :) Also, I edited it a bit-

* * *

Melinda stood over a frying pan filled with eggs and bacon. The oil sizzled while the greasy aroma brought a smile to her face. She took a sip of her French pressed coffee as she cooked and planned out her day. Melinda liked order, to-do lists, organization tools and schedules. She thrived on time management and neurotically nit picked details. She needed it. Margo had called her a control freak more than once, but Melinda always took it as a compliment. She enjoyed logic and science and putting as much distance between her and magic as physically possible. Melinda relied on practice, hard work and past experiences. She asked for no miracles and put up with the grind. She prided herself in tenacity and never taking the easy way out. As a half-witch, Melinda knew magic was all around her but believing something existed and believing in it were two very different things. She saw her family's tendency to consult magic in plan A as a vice.

She turned down the heat and brought her breakfast to the kitchen table. Melinda knew her girlfriend would be asleep for at least a few more hours, so she took the time to catch up with the news. She scrolled through the New York Times webpage, purposely ignoring articles written about the unusual spike in crime rates lately. Unsolved murder cases, specifically the bizarre, tended to be related to the one thing she hated most: demons. Instead, she focused her attention on technological innovations and groundbreaking research. She surrounded herself in the scientific process and experimentally proven causal relationships.

The Halliwell then went to check her email, just as she always did. She deleted annoying daily announcements and slowly read through memos, stalling before opening the final email. Melinda stared at the application update notification, hesitating. Her dreams could be a click away. Melinda had wanted to be a doctor ever since she was a little girl wanting to prove to her brothers she could save lives, too. She wanted to make a difference. Melinda sniffled, eyes getting teary. It was moments like this when she missed her mother the most. Her mom supported her endeavors more than anyone. Piper convinced her daughter that perhaps being normal in a house full of witches could be a blessing and not a curse. Melinda stared at the email and then shut her eyes. She shut her eyes and clicked on it, knowing her life would change the moment she read its contents.

xx

Chris woke up besides the one person he wish he hadn't. He sat up, regret settling. The blanket draped over her figure, hugging her in all the right places that make him come back. Chris threw on a pair of sweat pants and walked towards the kitchen to get a glass of water. He put a pot of coffee on, resisting the urge to make her breakfast, to care. He checked his phone for messages and climbed back into bed. She reached out for the man and he held her close. Chris must have fallen asleep again because he woke up to the coffee machine beeping, this time with Natasha. She twisted over, facing him and smiled.

"Morning, Halliwell." She rubbed his chest and sat up, yawning.

"How are you so pretty even in the morning?" Chris wondered, vulnerable, making her blush. He was too sleepy to put up a wall, and she knew it. She shrugged and kissed him. He was always most honest in the morning.

"I should probably get going." Natasha decided, kissing him again. He kissed her back this time, still deep under her spell. She broke it off right as it was getting hot and climbed over him. Natasha stood up and searched for her clothes.

"Coffee's in the kitchen." He informed, disappointed. She smiled.

"That's sweet, thanks." Natasha buttoned her bra. "Hey, do you still have any of my clothes?"

"Yeah, they're where you left them in the closet." He watched her pick out a t-shirt dress and then she shoved her dirty clothes in a bag.

"We'll talk later?"

"Probably not." Chris called her out her bullshit, going to pour coffee. "I'll be here when you feel like hooking up, though."

"Chris-" She followed him out, upset. "I still care about you, you know that, right?"

"So stay for breakfast." He challenged. She started formulating excuses and he scoffed. "What I thought."

"I would, but I'm meeting Brandon for brunch." Natasha admitted. Chris choked on his coffee. "I'm sorry,"

"You're not actually going out with the guy you cheated with, while you're sleeping me are you?" He wanted to know. She didn't respond. "Wow. Okay, that's the door, enjoy your date and uh, oh yeah, fuck you, Natasha."

"I really am sorry, Chris. Thank you for the coffee." She left feeling awful.

"Yeah, sure." He opened the door for her and couldn't close it fast enough. Chris was about to head to the shower when he heard a distress call from his aunt. He orbed into a battle scene and greeted with an energy ball grazing his shoulder. After swallowing the pain of the attack and the rage surrounding his morning, the witchlighter electrocuted the demon in one blast. Then, he panicked and looked around the destroyed attic for his aunt. Chris flipped over the coffee table, helping a squished Phoebe up from underneath it. "You okay?"

"I came over for flour and this what I get." She complained, not missing living on top of the nexus. She wrinkled her nose at the smell of burnt flesh. "Thanks for saving my butt."

"No problem." He inspected the cut on her face, disregarding his own injuries. "You should get Wyatt to look at that... speaking of, where is Wyatt?"

"I told him to take the baby up there when I called you." She explained. "You can come down now, Wy."

"What was that?" Wyatt analyzed, baby in arms. "You don't think he's after-"

"Power of three is gone, our family is vulnerable right now." Chris reminded. Wyatt's saw his brother and quickly healed him. "Wouldn't be surprised if the underworld was organizing with the paradigm shift."

"Wouldn't call us weak, though, what a shot, Chris." Phoebe admired, fake punching the recently healed skin. "Where did that even come from? That's a hell of a lot of power."

"Guess I'm just a bit riled this morning." He shrugged it off, obviously not wanting to make it a big deal.

"I'd think after last night you'd be in a good mood, no?" Wyatt commented.

"Why what was last night?" Phoebe wondered. Chris gave Wyatt the eye, warning him to shut up.

"Damn, did she blue ball you?" Wyatt teased, seeing Chris's frustration. Phoebe blushed, realizing what she got herself into. Chris knew his only option was to beat him at his own game.

"No, no we fucked all night." He admitted, shamelessly. Phoebe shook her head in disappointment. "Oh, don't give me that, Aunt Phoebe."

"There are words an aunt never needs to hear…" She scolded.

"Then what's the problem?" Wyatt wondered.

"She left this morning to go on a brunch date," Chris started, and Wyatt cringed even before the worst part. "With _Brandon_."

"Oh, hell no." Wyatt let out a humorless laugh. "That's messed up."

"I'm sorry, sweetie." Phoebe went in for a hug and Chris backed away. She looked hurt and he shook his head.

"I haven't showered yet." He spared her and Phoebe awkwardly backed towards Wyatt. "Next time, don't get attacked on a Saturday morning, yeah?"

xx

"Is she okay? I came as soon as I could- I got stuck in traffic and all I could think about-" Endless possibilities ran through her mind, all the different ways her baby girl could have been injured. Her worst nightmares, stuck on repeat. Veronica rushed into the nursery, finding her husband reading besides their child. Wyatt nodded, closing his book. Seeing her in tears broke his heart. He did this. His past, magic, did this. Veronica bent over and held the baby close, never wanting to let go. "It's okay, sweetie, Mommy's here. I'm here now. I promise."

"He didn't get to her." Wyatt informed, feeling guilty. "She's a little freaked, but nothing happened to her."

"What happened, Wy?" She kissed their bundle of joy and rocked her. "Why would they come after us? You said we were safe-"

"I believed it when I said it." He answered, honestly. "I'm going to do everything I can to make sure this doesn't happen again, do you hear me? No one is going to hurt us. If I have to kill every last one of them, I will-"

"No." She shook her head, seeing the rage in her husband's eyes. Veronica stood her ground. "You can't. If you do anything, it'll just continue."

"I can't let them hurt you." He pleaded. Wyatt looked down at his baby girl. He vowed. "I have to protect this family."

"The safest thing for this family to get as far away from magic as possible, and you know it." Veronica walked up to the struggling man and cupped his face in her hand. He nodded and wrapped his arms around his wife and child, his world. "I need a husband, not a watchman. I love you. I need _you_. We need you, not magic."

xx

"Hey, nice job last night." Chris praised the newest employee, who had just arrived for her second shift. Bianca smiled and set her bag down in the staff room.

"Thank you. I'm surprised you noticed, you seemed like you were having a fun night?" She tried to make conversation. He blushed. "I guess the boss is always on the clock though, huh?"

"Yeah, something like that." He nodded, and then went to change the topic. His escapades were far from professional. "Tom sent me the breakdown, said you pulled in a lot of tips last night, that's good. Means you kept them happy."

"I try." She said, thinking of the money she made. "Can't take all the credit though, I'm sure the booze I gave them helped too."

"I've heard it helps… Not that I've ever partaken…" He declared sarcastically. She laughed at his bad joke.

"Never." Bianca teased. They stood for a second, awkwardly nervous but at the same time calm and familiar. Chris's chest felt lighter for a fleeting moment and he clung onto it. Bianca smirked and finished putting her book bag in the locker.

"Oh hey, I meant to tell you, if you ever need a quieter place to study on break my office is pretty much sound proof. Feel free to use it." He offered.

"Wait, really? That would be so great, thank you."

"Yeah, no problem." He smiled glad to help. "So what did you think?"

"I liked it. There was a lot of energy and I got to actually make some of the fun drinks." She reflected, smiling. "Last place I worked at was pretty hole in the wall and I mostly uncapped beer so it's nice to use the skill I learned."

"Good, good." He smiled at her smile. They locked eyes for a moment before he cleared his throat. "Well, I'm going to make sure everything is set for tonight can you finish up in here and start?"

"Yeah, okay." Bianca watched him head out to the main room and streamline for the bar. He double checked the stock and then grabbed a beer for himself. Chris talked to some of the other workers. Bianca found butterflies in her stomach at his laugh, and so she then mentally kicked herself.

"Aunt Paige?" Chris greeted his aunt, who had surprised him. Bianca peered out from the employee room feeling as though she knew that woman. Paige hugged her nephew. "What are you doing here?"

"On my way home, I was in the area so I just thought I'd stop in and say hi." She shrugged. He took a swig. "Should you be drinking?"

"After the day I've had? I'm surprised I made it till now… You know the Manor was attacked this morning? I swear if it weren't for… Plus I have three people who call in sick, a crazy ex girlfriend and a technical malfunction that lighting is working on or something…" Chris justified. He continued rambling. Paige gave him a face that screamed just breathe. She hated seeing him so strung out, especially since it reminded her of her neurotic whitelighter. "Oh, and you know Kat's coming tonight, right?"

"I'm not thrilled, but yes. Mel's said she'd take care of her." Paige admitted. Then, finding her self between a rock and a hard place, she added even more stress to his day. "I want her safe, do you hear me? Can you keep an eye out for her?"

"I'll freeze the club if I have to." He promised. Paige was satisfied with his answer. "I hired someone like you suggested, and thankfully because she came in early today and helped with all this crap."

"Yeah? And? What made you finally cave?" She looked surprised.

"I did what no Halliwell has ever done before, realized how stubborn I am and admitted I needed it. And, I don't know I've just got a feeling about her." Chris shrugged and took the last sip. He tossed it and pointed at the new girl helping clean the VIP table. Paige watched the familiar brunette. "That's her right there."

"Bianca?" Paige blurted. Chris whipped his head around to meet his aunt. Paige brought a hand to her lips.

"What was that?"

"I asked what her name was?" The aunt smiled hopefully and tried to cover it up. Chris bought it, too exhausted to refute and looked back. Chris's eyes lingered on the woman. She had a glisten in her eye and a bounce in her step that made him crazy. There was definitely something special about her. Paige hid her amusement, watching her nephew fall in love.

"Bianca." He answered. Bianca, a natural leader, had reorganized and taken control of the understaffed set up routine. Her phoenix tattoo in full view, Paige treaded carefully.

"She's a witch," She said more than asked. Chris shrugged.

"Yeah. She's an incredibly hard working, brilliant masters student that's for some strange reason wants to work here." Chris flipped through his clipboard. "She could have been a demon and I'd be fine with how much she's helping."

"Background?" The cop drilled. The phoenix conversed with a coworker, attentive to their every word. Paige could see the determination and passion in her eyes, even at a part time gig. The work ethic reminded her someone else she knew.

"Came back squeaky clean." Chris grinned and checked the time. "I've got to make sure everything's set with lighting. Walk?"

"Yeah, I'll come with." Paige checked out the new girl again, who she caught glancing at Chris. Bianca blushed and continued her work. "I think she likes you. She keeps looking over here."

"No, don't start with that, Paige. She's an employee, and a pretty good one so far." Chris tried to remain professional. "I know you just want me to be happy and settle down but, I can't cross that line."

"Oh, she won't be here forever if she's in school." Paige tempted. "She's gorgeous, too. Isn't that the whole package? Intelligence, looks, personality…"

"Not being a raging psychotic bitch?" Chris added, after getting a message from Natasha. He turned his phone on silent.

"Yeah, that too." Paige trailed off. Chris walked over to talk to the lighting people and gave a thumb up. The aunt watched the ball of stress she called a nephew and rolled her eyes, not believing how futile her hopes of his relaxation truly were.

"Nice job, thanks." He checked something off on the clipboard and found his aunt again.

"So I got an interesting call from Phoebe at lunch today." She stared, seeing her nephew get antsy.

"Oh yeah, about the attack? Did she figure out who it was?" Chris drilled, dropping everything work related the moment family business came up. It made Paige the superwitch's heart swell. "I'm planning on stopping by later to check out the book, see if there's anything-"

"Said you were racking some serious fire power these days." Paige got confirmation when Chris ducked his head and ran a hand through his hair, now avoiding the conversation. She frowned at his dramatic shift. He was never one to brag, but when it came to demons he had a very competitive nature. "It's a huge honor. When did it happen? Why didn't you say anything?"

"There's nothing honorable about anger, Paige. It happened after Mom." He answered solemnly. Chris looked away. Paige paused, suddenly nauseas. She had a feeling of what was coming next. He swallowed and explained. He pulled the wall back up, leaving his face expressionless. "I went on a hunting trip, blacked out, and when I came to…"

"Honey-" Paige's sympathy was cut short as Bianca walked up. Chris gave her his full attention, professionally and otherwise.

"Hey, boss, do we have any specials on drinks tonight?" She asked. Paige saw him relax in Bianca's presence. Chris quickly said goodbye to his aunt in order to speak with the Phoenix. Paige raised an eyebrow and left the two alone, walking back to her squad car. She thought about the pairing all drive home and couldn't help but orb to Phoebe's to share the news.

"Oh, you will not believe who is working at the club." Paige started talking before she finished landing. Phoebe and Coop were finishing dinner, kids out with friends. "Is that lasagna?"

"Paige," Coop took a sip of wine.

"Am I interrupting something?" She asked, apologetically. The candles glowing the background Phoebe's exasperated look gave it away.

"Yes," Phoebe answered, bluntly. "But you're here now, so please finish what you came here to say?"

"You know Chris is turning 25 this year?" Paige started. The couple nodded. "And we all hated Natasha?"

"She wasn't so bad, I mean he seemed to really like her." Coop tried to justify.

"She slept with his best friend." Paige reminded. "Anyways, I know we all had given up hope over a particular someone…"

"I haven't completely given up hope, he's young but he'll figure it out… maybe. After yesterday, I don't think he'll be seeing Natasha anytime soon…" Phoebe pitched in. Coop squinted, not knowing what she knew.

"No. We didn't give up on Chris, Phoebe? Anyways…" Paige brought the attention back on her story. She loved being the center of attention and Phoebe was stealing her moment. "He just hired a new bartender."

"Mixing work and play… you shouldn't encourage this-" Coop started. He was hushed. Paige finally just spit it.

"Named Bianca." Paige finished with a dramatic flare. "As in, future Chris's Bianca?"

"What?" Phoebe dropped her fork and stared. "Honey, did you have anything to do with this?"

"No, I had no idea…" Coop replied honestly. "Which means…"

"Ah, shit." Phoebe stood up and straightened her top. "She's phoenix, Paige. We have to go warn him."

"What and ruin their chance at being happy?" Paige protested. "No, I think we should let it play out."

"This is the love of his life we're talking about." Coop reminded.

"Do you remember when the cleaners erased Wyatt all those years ago?" Phoebe wondered, thinking back to what Leo had said. "Chris didn't have a fiancé in that reality, sweetie. Him and Bianca didn't exist."

"Yeah, and he was only 22." Paige rebutted, not giving up. "Maybe without an evil Wyatt it takes longer?"

"Wouldn't Coop know about it, then?"

"Not necessarily. If they are truly meant to be together the universe will a find a way with or without a cupid's help…" Coop explained. "It's rare though."


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Sorry for the delay, classes/activities started up and I lost track of time! Here's the next chapter:

* * *

"Hey, we haven't seen you all night, what's up?" Chris spotted his younger sister at one of the side tables and pushed through the crowd.

"Have I ever mentioned how much I love you?" Mel asked, going in for a hug.

"Yeah, many times. Usually after four or five drinks." Chris hugged her back and looked around. "Where's Kat? I thought you were watching her."

"Oh, Margo went with her to the bathroom." She explained. A drink rep came around with free tequila and Mel grabbed two. "You look stressed… drink with your lil sister?"

"Yes, please. I forgot how crazy this job is when Tom's not here." He explained, taking her advice and kicking it back. He loved the way it burned the back of his throat. "I usually let him deal with this shit but he called in sick and-"

"Hey, cous." Kat and Margo squeezed their way through the crowd. Kat gave Chris a hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you. You're the best."

"Don't mention it. Oh, I saved you guys VIP seats up there if you want."

"Yup." Mel nodded and directed Kat away from the man eyeing her. "You coming?"

"I've got to go but have fun? Get home safe?" Chris smiled, hopeful. Margo, staying sober for tonight, gave him a wink of insurance. He relaxed as much as he could, trusting her. Still feeling an anxious vice on his heart, he cursed. He needed something to calm down if he was going to make it through his shift. Chris checked the time and headed to his office. He opened the door, hoping to grab a glass of jack but found Natasha waiting instead. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I wanted to apologize for this morning." She stood up from sitting on his desk and straightened out her dress. "I think there might have been a misunderstanding and I don't want you to think of me like that."

"Like what? A compulsive liar? I don't know what to do…" He shrugged, too anxious to restrain. "You keep playing with my heart like it's some kind of sick game… you know what I don't have time for this, Natasha, I'm working."

"We met for brunch so I could tell him that I couldn't see him anymore." She explained, desperate. He ignored her and grabbed the bottle of jack from the desk drawer. He poured a glass and killed it in a gulp. "I thought that maybe I had a small chance at getting back together with you…"

"I can't..." He decided. She reached out for his hand and they stood close enough to feel each other's breath. Natasha placed her lips on his and Chris kissed her back, hesitantly at first and then easing into it. He regretted every moment, but kept going, needing to feel anything but the dichotomous overwhelming emptiness inside of him. The door opened behind them and Bianca walked in carrying books.

"Oh, my god, I am so sorry." Bianca started backing out when Chris shook his head. He looked back at Natasha, band-aid ripped off. Bianca's presence made it easier to resist the easy way out. He cleared his throat and took a step back.

"No, no, it's fine. Stay. She was just leaving." He decided, not wanting to be alone with his ex. Natasha's eyebrows knit together, confused at rejection. Chris avoided her eye contact.

"Yeah, no, right. I'll go." The blonde grabbed her things and headed out, feeling replaced seeing the way Chris looked at the new girl: a defeated man with a glimmer of hope.

"I hope I wasn't interrupting anything? You mentioned I could study in here during my break and I have a test on Monday…" Bianca rambled. She always got herself in these kinds of sticky situations. "If you want I can just go and…"

"Stop, you're fine. Please… come in… Just my ex." He invited. Bianca hesitated, and Chris recomposed himself. Bianca had unintentionally perked up hearing the word ex. She saw his quick shift to cover up how broken he was and nodded, letting him explain. "You probably just stopped me from making a huge mistake. So, thank you."

"Are you alright?" She wondered, genuinely concerned.

"I'm fine." He reassured the new bartender. "I'm sorry you had to walk in on that. Not exactly professional."

"Oh, please, it's nice to see my boss is human." She teased. He laughed at her phrasing, both knowing he was anything but mortal.

"Yeah... human…" He repeated. It even sounded out of place. Bianca pulled out her textbook, actually needing to study now. He dove into an excel document, trying to focus, but his mind and gaze kept wandering. About fifteen minutes in Chris cursed, rubbing his eyes.

"Need a break?" She asked, still focused on her work. She looked up when he didn't answer. "Chris?"

"Where did you say you were originally from again?" He wondered, scouring his brain. She smiled at his bluntness. He got straight to the point, and she liked it.

"Originally? San Francisco, but my mom split when I was kid so I got bounced around family for a while." Bianca replied promptly and then paused, thinking back. She only had a few memories of her mom, all happy but one: the day a woman in black scared her away, a woman who would haunt Bianca's childhood dreams. Her quest to find the woman had fueled her phoenix training. "Why?"

"I just, I have this feeling like I know you somehow." He admitted. The background check hadn't offered any consolation, and as much as he tried to ignore it, he couldn't shake it off. "Probably just my head playing tricks on me. I haven't had a good night sleep in a while."

"Funny, I was going to say the same thing." She whispered, just soft enough for him not to hear. Bianca chewed the tip of her pen for a moment and then continued with her studies, now consumed with the idea that maybe they didn't meet by accident. The rest of the night went by uneventfully to Chris's liking. He managed to get away from work for a few minutes to spend time with his family and only had to freeze the room once. Kat seemed to enjoy herself, and that's all that mattered to Chris.

xx

"Leo, do you know anything about the attacks?" Phoebe consulted early the next morning. The elder nodded. "It's about the power of three, isn't it?"

"Yes. And I'm afraid my children have been chosen." He confessed. "The elders are making Melinda's twice-blessed status official tomorrow and once that's done…"

"They were out of the life." She denied. "Leading almost normal productive lives… Why-"

"The demons are organizing." Leo explained. "They want the charmed ones to stay dead shift the balance in their favor… all of our children need to be prepared."

"Chris…"

"What about him?"

"He just hired Bianca at P3, you don't think-"

"Why didn't you tell me as soon as you knew? She's an assassin, Phoebe. Who knows who sent her?" Leo reminded. "Last time we saw her she stripped his powers. She could be dangerous!"

"Or they could fall in love?" Phoebe argued.

"Before or after she tries to kill him?" Leo orbed out, leaving Phoebe alone in the manor. He landed outside his youngest son's apartment and knocked, panicking. Leo considered orbing inside, but knew his son would never forgive the invasion of privacy. He kept knocking until Chris opened the door. The hybrid was cozily wrapped in a blanket.

"It's seven am it better be important." Chris threatened, having only gotten home from his shift a few hours ago. He let his dad in and they sat on the couches.

"Demon attacks are heating up and I need you on full alert." Leo explained. Chris nodded, sleepy. "We have reason to believe a coven of assassin witches may be after you."

"Me? Just me? Is this about my hunting after mom?" Chris wondered, ashamed. "Look I was all kinds of messed up, but I stopped once we found the demon that killed her- I'ven't gone down there in-"

"No, stop. You can't keep blaming yourself for that. We settled that, okay? What you did was understandable… This about something bigger." Leo explained. "Just, be skeptical of anyone new. I'm calling an emergency family meeting. I'm going to go get your sister. Meet us in the attic. Twenty minutes."

"Yeah," He nodded and watched his Leo orb away, glad to see his Dad orbing again. Chris ditched his blanket and the idea of sleep and walked down the hall. He threw open a chest in the back room and geared up, strapping a dagger on his calf and a few potions in his pocket. At the bottom of the chest he pulled out a small box and slide a full magazine into the glock. Bullets won't kill demons, but it could solve his witch problem. He stared at the gun, nostalgic of his time in the service. As hectic as life had been the last two months, there was a part of him growing restless, the soldier. The phone rang. Chris answered Bianca's call. "Good morning?"

"Krav Maga." She stated, satisfied. He furrowed his eyebrows, confused.

"Excuse me?"

"Did you ever take it?" Bianca questioned.

"Did you?" Chris wondered, alerted.

"Yeah, growing up…"

"Sorry, B. Maybe in combat class at Magic school and a little during basic but never in public…" He answered, feeling her disappointment through the phone. "I'm sorry?"

"I'm going to figure out how I know you, Halliwell." She declared, determined.

"Looking forwards to your call." He said truthfully and orbed to the manor. Wyatt sat on the couch with the baby snuggling up against his shoulder. When he saw what was in Chris's hand he held his child closer on instinct. "What?"

"Not all of us feel as strongly towards the second amendment as you do." He commented, and Chris narrowed his eyes.

"You can blow things up just by looking at them wrong, Wyatt. At least guns have a safety." He argued.

"Not that I'm for it, but that guns probably the least dangerous thing in the room," Mel agreed, walking in with her dad. "Considering what you do."

"Which is exactly why we need to figure out what's going on and stop it. My kid isn't growing up the way we did." Wyatt stated. "I'm not going to raise my family the way we were. Break this cycle of violence. She's going to have a demon free life-"

"I'm not sure it's that simple, son." Leo said, gravely. Wyatt looked betrayed.

"Really? You've seen what it does to this family. Grams, Grandma Patty, Prue, Mom… I'm not continuing that pattern…" He shouted. "I thought out of everyone you would understand that, Dad?"

"I know, but it's not up to us anymore." Leo cried, scaring his children.

"What is this about, Dad?" Mel asked, hesitantly. Chris holstered the weapon and held his dad, who was obviously upset about something. He felt his father shake and offered support, both emotionally and physically, to the aged man. Chris led him to couch besides Wyatt, who took Leo's hand.

"What's going on?" The eldest child asked.

"Piper's death upset the balance, more than we had anticipated. The Elders have decided to reinstate the Power of Three." He explained, slowly. Wyatt clenched his jaw, knowing what that meant. Mel hung onto every word that came out of Leo's mouth next. Chris smiled. "You three have been chosen."

Melinda burst out laughing. She wasn't quite sure if it was a nervous laugh or genuinely thought this was funny all she knew was she couldn't stop. She laughed at the potions. She laughed at the spells. Her stomach cramped with how hard she cried. She laughed at the Book of Shadows, the bookstand and her brothers. The Halliwell boys looked at each other and then towards her, cautiously. The baby started wailing, and the father rocked her. Melinda backed away from them, beginning to shake her head on top of producing that menacing laugh. She shook her head at the carpet, the couch and the world. This was not an amusing laugh, she decided. It was the kind of laugh that emerges when you have nothing left. The baby continued to scream.

They all stared speechless as Melinda's panic brought her to tears, still laughing. She started panicking and began breathing out more than in. She wanted to breathe in, but her body momentarily forgot how. All she knew was laughter. A grip tightened around her heart and her lungs. She motioned for air, grasping for air before she held the circular table for support, hating every potion that had ever been brewed on it and every demon that crashed into it. The table irritated her more than anything. How was it still standing, after all this time? She flipped it over. They watched her, not sure how to respond. Finally, Chris took a deep breath and approached her carefully. Her laugh came to a bitter end, turning into to sobs and then silence. Chris tried to offer support, but she shoved him off of her.

"The Elder's are making it official tonight, Mel, you'll be twice-blessed. Develop active powers to protect yourself with..." Leo forced himself to continue, knowing he had to inform them no matter how painful

"No." Was all she said, mad at Chris, mad at Wyatt, mad at Leo, mad at the world. "No."

"It's going to be okay-" Chris tried again. Leo's heart broke, seeing his family falling apart. "Mel? You're scared, but it's going to be okay-"

"Stop, Chris. You don't get to say that. You don't get to decide that. You were made for this." She scoffed. "It might be okay for you, but do you ever stop to think about the rest of us?"

"Excuse me?" Chris turned to his father and brother, looking for insight. Wyatt shrugged and Leo looked confused. Chris was anything but selfish.

"You were built for this. 'Chris Halliwell, ever the soldier…'" She started. "You have been killing demons since before you hit puberty. When we all run away, Chris, you ran towards it. You ran straight into the fire. Did you ever wonder why I ran away? Why I didn't go while you went out and fought?"

"I was a brave kid, I don't know -" Chris tried to see her logic and she shook her head no.

"You can't be brave if you have nothing to fear. Nothing in the dark can hurt you and deep down you know it." She explained. "You don't need to be scared, but I do. The only one who could hurt you is sitting on that couch. I don't live that luxury, Chris. I'm human. Everything that goes bump in the night that's barely on your radar can kill me. No matter how many self defense classes I've taken I can't protect myself, or the woman I love, from the evil we know is out there… and I shouldn't have to."

"We're in this together, Mel. We're not going to let that happen… Plus you heard dad, you'll get active powers-" He tried to reason.

"I don't want it." She shrugged. "I've learned how to survive in this family, by planting roots outside of it. The hours you've spent training I've been studying. I've dedicated my life to med school, all my hard work… and oh by the way, I got in yesterday and now it's for _nothing_. I can't do both. I can't live my life and be a Charmed one. So no, you don't get to tell me it's going to be okay. You've been training for this your entire life, but me? I've been building a future for myself outside of magic... a good one. They can't just throw a few powers my way and call it even!"

"You got in?" Leo stated, amazed.

"I won't let anything happen to you." Chris promised.

"Huh, didn't you say that to Mom? You know, before she was murdered in front of you." She snapped, immediately regretting it. Leo could see his children unraveling and the Book trembling.

"That's not fair," Chris called her out, trying to stay objective.

"Stop!" Leo shouted, knowing what would happen if they strayed too far. The new charmed ones looked his way, obeying their father. "The only way you all stay alive is if you work together."

"Not if we aren't the Charmed Ones." Melinda stated. "We don't get a say in any of this? If all of us don't want it and we don't act on the power of three what can they do? Huh? We're not Mom and Paige and Phoebe. We can't do this."

"You've been chosen-" He repeated.

"No, Dad, listen to her. She's right." Wyatt stood, shocking them all. "Two years ago, maybe I'd accept all this, but not now. I have a daughter now. I have a mortal wife… I asked her to marry me, to have a family. I can't risk putting them in harms way. I'm not sorry they come first. I've got more important responsibilities now- protecting my family-"

"This is protecting your family." The elder tried to explain. "Carrying on the legacy…"

"Screw the legacy." Mel stated. "It's just a balance, right? Good and evil? The battle will never end. We can't win. They don't want us to. What we do, what we sacrifice is pointless. All it does is get us killed…"

"So what if it wasn't about good and evil?" Chris asked.

"What?" Leo's face went white as a sheet.

"What if we said no?" He asked. "No good versus evil… it's a never ending cycle. People die and it gets us nowhere… Imagine a world where witches didn't have to fight demons for a bigger cause. We'd be safer."

"Where are you going with this, Son?" Leo demanded, getting lightheaded.

"We could use our magic to protect each other instead of risking our lives for a never-ending war. Just live our own lives and worry about our own families." He decided. Wyatt nodded in agreement. "Get out of the good versus evil…"

"We're the most powerful line of witches the world has ever known, if anyone could change it, it would be us." Wyatt commented. Leo felt sick to his stomach. His breathes becoming shallow. Chris continued.

"The elders pretend it's about good and evil but what if it wasn't? Wyatt's right we can change it. We have the power."

"Whoever has the most power wins." Wyatt finished Chris's thought just as Leo collapsed to the floor.


End file.
